Support structure with a vibration damper for rotatably holding a rotatable body

Abstract

A support structure with a vibration damper permits rotatably holding a rotatable body to be balanced, without applying undesirable constraining forces to the rotor or wheel. The vibration damper is an elastomeric element, for example a metal rubber composite element, inserted between the rotatable body and a support which itself is separately mounted by spring elastic mountings in a machine frame. The vibration damping element is effective between the rotatable body and the support if the element is inserted between a bearing and the rotatable body or if the element is inserted between the bearing and the support.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for supporting a rotor in an unbalance measuring machine, said rotor (5) having a rotation axis, said unbalance measuring machine comprising a machine frame (MF), a support (2; 31; 41) for said rotor (5), spring elastic mounts (S) securing said support (2; 31; 41) in a vibratable manner to said machine frame (MF), said spring elastic mounts (S) being effective for resiliently supporting said support in said machine frame, at least one bearing member (3, 4; 32, 33; 42, 43) rotatably mounting said rotor (5) to said support (2; 31; 41), and at least one vibration damping element (7, 7'; 7A; 7B; 41; 20; 37; 47, 57) having at least one radially effective vibration damping component operatively interposed between said rotor (5) and said support (2; 31; 41) so that said spring elastic mounts (S) and said radially effective vibration damping component are arranged in series with each other between said machine frame and said rotor for adjusting the vibration behavior of the system formed by said rotor and support. 
     
     
       2. The device of claim 1, wherein said radially effective vibration damping component (7, 20) is interposed between said bearing member (3, 4) and said support (2). 
     
     
       3. The device of claim 1, wherein said radially effective vibration damping component (7B) is interposed between said bearing member and said rotor (5). 
     
     
       4. The device of claim 1, wherein said radially effective vibration damping component comprises an elastomeric member. 
     
     
       5. The device of claim 1, wherein said radially effective vibration damping component comprises at least one metal member and one elastomeric member bonded to each other to form a metal elastomer composite structure. 
     
     
       6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a force applicator for applying a defined biasing force to said radially effective vibration damping component. 
     
     
       7. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one bearing member (3, 4) is an antifriction bearing, wherein said rotor (5) is secured to a shaft which in turn is mounted in said antifriction bearing (3, 4), and wherein said radially effective vibration damping component (11) is positioned between an outer race (3B, 4B) of said antifriction bearing (3, 4) and said support (2). 
     
     
       8. The device of claim 7, wherein said vibration damping element (11) comprises a plurality of separate vibration damping components. 
     
     
       9. The device of claim 8, wherein each of said separate vibration damping components of said vibration damping element comprises a metal elastomer composite ring structure having an L-cross-sectional configuration providing at least one axially effective vibration damping component and said at least one radially effective vibration damping component. 
     
     
       10. The device of claim 8, wherein said plurality of separate vibration damping components of said vibration damping element (17) comprises a radially effective cylindrical elastomeric ring (17') surrounding an outer race (3B, 4B) of said bearing member (3, 4) and two axially effective ring disks (17", 17'") contacting axially facing surfaces of said outer race (3B, 4B) of said bearing member (3, 4). 
     
     
       11. The device of claim 1, wherein said bearing member (30) comprises two carrier rollers (32, 33, 42) rotatably mounted in said support (31, 41) for rotatably carrying said rotor, and wherein said radially effective vibration damping component (37, 47, 57) is positioned between said carrier rollers (32, 33, 42) and said support (31, 41). 
     
     
       12. The device of claim 1, wherein said vibration damping element (37) comprises a plurality of vibration damping components including a first component (37') positioned for vibration damping in a radial direction relative to said rotation axis of said rotor (5), a second component (37") positioned laterally on one side of one carrier roller (32) of said two carrier rollers for vibration damping approximately in a horizontal direction, and a third component (37'") positioned laterally on the opposite side of the other carrier roller (33) of said two carrier rollers for vibration damping approximately in a horizontal direction. 
     
     
       13. The device of claim 12, wherein said support (31) further comprises two pairs of first and second support walls (38, 38; 39, 39') positioned laterally between said support (31) and said two carrier rollers (32, 33), said first and second support walls of a pair being spaced from each other to form a gap between said support walls of a pair, said second and third vibration damping components (37", 37'") being positioned in said gap respectively, and a force applicator (40, 50) positioned for applying a biasing force component to a respective one of said second and third vibration damping components (37", 37"'). 
     
     
       14. The device of claim 13, wherein said first support wall (38, 38') of a pair extends substantially vertically, wherein said second support wall (39, 39') of said pair extends at a slant relative to said first support wall, whereby said gap has a wedge shape, and wherein said force applicator comprises a wedge (40, 50) between each pair of first and second support walls, said wedge being movable in said gap for applying said biasing force component. 
     
     
       15. The device of claim 11, wherein said vibration damping element comprises a plurality of components (37', 37", 37'") positioned to form a trough or cradle for said carrier rollers. 
     
     
       16. The device of claim 1, wherein said radially effective vibration damping component (11, 20, 47, 57) comprises an elastomeric cylinder. 
     
     
       17. The device of claim 16, wherein said bearing member comprises a bearing race, and wherein said elastomeric cylinder (11) is inserted between said bearing race and said support. 
     
     
       18. The device of claim 16, wherein said support comprises a first inner support section (12) and an outer support section (13), and wherein said elastomeric cylinder (11), is positioned between said inner (12) and outer (13) support sections. 
     
     
       19. The device of claim 18, further comprising a biasing force applicator positioned for radially biasing said elastomeric cylinder. 
     
     
       20. The device of claim 1, wherein said vibration damping element comprises an elastomeric bushing (20, 47), said apparatus further comprising a biasing force applicator positioned for radially biasing said elastomeric bushing. 
     
     
       21. The device of claim 20, wherein said biasing force applicator comprises a first inner clamping ring (10') surrounding said elastomeric bushing and having a first slanted surface facing substantially radially outwardly, said biasing force applicator further comprising a second outer clamping ring (10") having a second slanted surface facing substantially radially inwardly, said first and second slanted surfaces cooperating with each other in applying a radial biasing force component to said elastomeric bushing, and a drive (9) for axially displacing one of said first and second clamping rings (10', 10") relative to the other clamping ring for applying said radial biasing force component. 
     
     
       22. The device of claim 1, wherein said vibration damping element (47) comprises a radially outer first metal ring (48), at least one second metal ring (47) having an axially extending cylinder section positioned radially inwardly of said first metal ring (48), said second metal ring having a radially extending flange at each end of said axially extending cylinder section, and wherein said radially effective elastic component (47') is positioned between said first and second metal rings (48, 47). 
     
     
       23. The device of claim 22, wherein said second metal ring comprises two portions (47" and 47'"), each portion having an L-sectional configuration so that one leg of said L-sectional configuration forms said radially extending flange and the other portion of said L-sectional configuration forms part of said axially extending cylinder section. 
     
     
       24. The device of claim 1, wherein said vibration damping element (57) comprises a cylindrical metal ring (58) and an elastic member comprising three elastic sections (57', 57", and 57'"), said three elastic sections including a cylindrical elastic ring section (57') forming said radially effective vibration damping component surrounding said metal ring (58) and two radially extending elastic flange sections (57" and 57'") one of which is positioned at each end of said cylindrical metal ring (58) and of said cylindrical elastic ring section (57'). 
     
     
       25. The device of claim 24, wherein said radially extending elastic flange sections (57" and 57'") cover axially facing ends of said cylindrical metal ring (58) and of said cylindrical elastic ring section (57') forming said radially effective component, wherein said bearing member (43) comprises an inner race having axially facing surfaces also covered by said elastic flange sections (57", 57'").